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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Diamond
Asiansation Christian Bautista ushers in 2012 with the release of his
highly-anticipated First Class: Outbound
Expanded Edition album. The album, which has a limited edition coffee table
book, marks his 10th anniversary in showbiz. It includes nine new
tracks, five hits from the original Outbound,
and new recording of his earlier hits Hands
To Heaven and The Way You Look At Me.

“I
can really say that this is my best album yet- from the songs, to the
packaging, to the guest artists. I am really proud of this album,” says
Christian. “Plus, this is also very important because this marks my comeback
into releasing new songs.”

Christian
hopes that the fans will support his new songs from the album. The carrier
single from the album Beautiful To Me is
currently the top downloaded song in www.mymusicstore.com.ph.

“We’ve
worked hard to get the perfect original songs to be included in this album,”
states Christian. “I am extremely happy also that I was given this chance to
re-record two of my biggest hits- Hands
To Heaven and The Way You Look At Me.
Recording those tracks brought so many memories.”

Christian
also expressed excitement over the chance to work with some of the most
promising artists of this generation Angeline Quinto for In Love With You, originally recorded by Regine Velasquez and Asian
superstar Jacky Cheung, and KC Concepcion for We Could Be In Love, first interpreted by Lea Salonga and Brad
Kane.

Famed
band Neocolours reunites to
collaborate with Christian on the original Sasabihin.

As
part of his celebration of 10 years in the business, Christian goes full circle
by having a duet with Sam Concepcion for Rescue
You, composed by Singapore-based Tat Tong. Christian and Sam were launched
into showbiz via The Lion, The Witch, and
The Wardrobe almost a decade ago.

Japanese
Pop singer Baby M also has a duet with Christian in the album – In My Arms.

The
album includes impressive original tracks like Love You This Much, Let Go, and Whole. The theme of A Special
Symphony, I’m Already King, is also included with Outbound tracks All That’s
Left, Faith, What Can I Do, Unphotographable.

“This
is a very important album, so I am really hoping everyone can support me,”
admits Christian. “We have worked hard to make this album a fitting tribute to
my 10 years in showbiz.”

The
Limited Edition Coffee Table Book with CD is available in all National
Bookstore outlets and other bookstores and record stores nationwide.

TRACK LIST:

1. Beautiful To Me
2. In Love With You with Angeline Quinto
3. Love You This Much
4. We Could Be In Love with Kc Concepcion
5. Let Go
6. Rescue You with Sam Concepcion
7. Whole
8. I'm Already King
9. In My Arms with Baby M
10. Sasabihin with Neocolours
11. What Can I Do
12. Faith
13. Unphotographable
14. All That’s Left
15. Love Moves In Mysterious Ways
16. Hands To Heaven featuring Zia Quizon
17. The Way You Look At Me

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Caltex, one of the
world’s leading energy brands and marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI),
is helping three charity organizations generate awareness and funding by
recently launching an online game called “Captain Bubbly’s Enjoyable Journey”

The game features a hot air balloon which
players keep afloat until they reach their
destination while dodging obstacles along the way. Obstacles that hit the
balloon slow it down and drain the life bar. Game ends when life bar hits zero.

The game which can be accessed
after “liking” the Caltex Philippines Facebook page, has four stages or
destinations: Ilocos to Manila, Manila to Bicol, Bicol to Bohol, Bohol to
Zamboanga. Player earns P10 by reaching their target destination. Player
has the option to donate earnings to one of three charities or continue
playing. Caltex will convert game earnings to cash donations for charities selected
by player.

The three recipient non-profits
are Project Seahorse Foundation (PSF) for environment, Smokey Mountain Team for
sports and Hospicio de San Jose (HSJ) for education.

CPI Caltex Brand Manager Veronica Pangilinan said, “Caltex
has always been active in partnership with non-profit groups that positively
impact people’s lives. These disadvantaged groups of people are also host
communities of Caltex, living next or near our terminals and facilities. We
created this simple online game so that these partner non-profits of Caltex
will be able to draw upon a global network of like-minded people.

To create the game and facility for donations Caltex partnered
with Ammado, a global funding network for non-profits. Ammado connects
non-profits, socially responsible companies and engaged individuals in a
unique, interactive environment. It harnesses the power of the Internet to
accelerate communication, awareness and fundraising.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

As the 3rd International Pyromusical
Competition run on its 2nd week, with the country of Spain and the
United Kingdom competing with each other for supremacy in the field of pyrotechnics, the
competition just keeps on getting Bigger and Brighter as the weeks gone by.

With United Kingdom’s SM Art Pyro Ltd. with offices in U
K and Australia and using Europe’s latest technology, U K delivered a
spectacular fireworks display that the viewers cheered and applauded upon. On
the other hand, Spain’s Turis Fireworks Inc. with a stage name of Pyrotechnics
Turis, who won the grand prize of the 2009-2010 Global Fest Fireworks
competition held in Calgary Canada, made the skies as if it’s a drawing board
and painted it with fireworks of art.

With four (4) more weeks to go, with the following
schedule…. Finland and Portugal on February 25, China and the Netherlands on
March 3, Australia and Canada on March 10 and on March 17, Italy and our very
own country the Philippines will showcase a phenomenal fireworks that will be
handle by Platinum Fireworks, Inc., which received an award as the
“Favorite Pyromusical Performance” held recently at the GlobalFest 2011 in
Calgary, Canada.

It is such an eye-catching event that you and your families
and friends shouldn’t miss! You can be at the SM by the Bay or simply seated
comfortably at the various restaurants at the veranda of the mall watching this
grandiose event in the skies.

For reservation and ticket inquiries
you may contact Ticket Net at 911-5555, Ticket World at 891-9999, SM Tickets at
470-2222 or visit wwwpyrophilippines.com

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

For the first time
in Manila, the world-renowned Cirque
Mother Africa (created by professional acrobat Winston Ruddle) will dazzle and mesmerize local audiences with wild
African music, dance and performance in a two-hour showcase.

The series of
performances will start from April 19 to 22 at the Newport Performing Arts
Theater, Resorts World Manila.

Dancers, percussionists, singers, acrobats and contortionists energetically
take to the stage in a celebration of the culture of the traditional and modern
African arts & culture.

The heartbeat of Africa pulsates throughout the jaw-dropping show as the
musicians and artistes articulate their passion and love for their homeland including
Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Benin, Zimbabwe, and
Guinea.

The innovative show combines the talents from nine African countries to provide
the wonder, suspense and joy of Cirque
Mother Africa.

The show is a delight for the senses with items spun through the air, bodies contorted
into mind-boggling shapes, and performers balance on other performers,
percussionists beat up a storm of sound and traditional dancers tell their own
stories. The audience will be
overwhelmed by the complexity and versatility of these world-class acts.

Cirque Mother
Africa is not just a traditional African show. It also has a
take on the modern, fresh and dynamic culture of the new Africa. Young acrobats
perform feats that belong in any world-class circus, and energetic young
performers compete in tap-dancing that is a toe-tapping delight. This is a
fresh and fantastic show that evokes passion and demands a response. Audiences
are encouraged, prodded and charmed to actively respond rather than to simply
watch a breath-taking spectacle.

Cirque Mother Africa 2012 can be seen from April 19 to
22 at Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila. Tickets are
available at selected National Book Stores, Robinsons Department Stores, Cinema
Lobby – Greenbelt 1 and Trinoma. You may also inquire atTicketWorld Office www.ticketworld.com.ph call
891-9999 for bookings &reservations.

EXCLUSIVE! Enjoy a 15% discount from February 7-20 by
calling the following hotlines 0916-3403919 or 0921-5642108

The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has warned against the alarming
rate at which languages have become extinct in recent years. Among the 6,000
spoken languages and dialects of the world, 50 per cent are at risk of dying
out, along with the cultural and intellectual heritage that are associated with
these.

For example, the Bashkarik dialect,
spoken by only 40, 000 people in Pakistan is considered to be an “endangered”
language. Although there are enough people to keep the language alive, it is
threatened due to the use of other more widespread languages that majority of
the Pakistan youth uses. The Arta dialect, which had been in use in the
Northern Luzon region in the Philippines until the late 1980s, is now
considered to be “extinct”. (PRESS RELEASE)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Mark our words, February is going to be epic on AXN as modern
legal thriller The Firm will be
simulcast across Sony Pictures Television’s global network of channels
including AXN in Asia!

The First AXN Original Series - The Firm

AXN viewers in Asia will be able to enjoy the two-hour premiere of
The Firm on February 19 (Sunday) at
9.50PM, on the same day it airs across 126 million households on SPT channels
globally in Asia, Latin America, Central Europe, Iberia, Italy, Africa, Russia
and the Baltics.

An AXN original series based on John Grisham’s bestselling
novel, the TV reincarnation picks up ten years after the movie of the same name
starring Tom Cruise. Hot shot lawyer, Mitch McDeere, brought down a Memphis law
firm fronting the Chicago mob. Mitch and his family attempt to reclaim
their lives by moving to Washington DC to start their own firm after
leaving the Federal Witness Protection Program. However, the past has a
way of catching up with them.

The stellar cast includes Josh Lucas (The Lincoln
Lawyer) and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). Lucas is cast as
Mitch McDeere, the role originally made famous by Cruise, with Lewis playing
McDeere’s receptionist, Tammy Hemphill (previously played by Holly Hunter in
the film). Canadian cast members include Molly Parker (Deadwood) as
McDeere’s wife, Abby, and Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica) as
his brother, Ray, and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar
Galactica) as Alex Clark, the firm’s managing partner.

Showrunner Lukas Reiter, a former prosecutor who has
worked on The Practice and Boston Legal, was the one who first
sought out John Grisham in the hopes of scripting a sequel and eventually got
him on board as executive producer. On what to expect from the new Mitch,
Reiter teased, “What made Mitch Mcdeere
so special is his ability to find the hidden solution long after the average
person believes there is no way out…There’s a great amount of fun to be had
watching Josh Lucas find those solutions.”

Shot on location in Canada, The Firm will keep viewers on the edge of their seats and fans of
Grisham can anticipate the same kinds of drama and thriller feel that made the
book and the 1993 film adaptation so original!

The Firm premieres on Feb
19, 2012

Sundays at 9.55pm (PH)

All photos are courtesy of "Sony Pictures
Television/Frank Ockenfels"

Catch the repeat timings of The Firm's Pilot
Episode on Feb 23 at 10:55pm & Feb 26 at 10:20am

Monday, February 20, 2012

The “Media World After WikiLeaks and
News of the World” conference at UNESCO on 16 – 17 February explored how new
media institutions are responding to the deepening digital era.

Although there has not been a flood
of leaks since Wikileaks release of confidential diplomatic cables, newsrooms
are still facing increases in the velocity and volume of data, including a mass
of information sent in by the public. In recognising this, conference
speakers highlighted the need to maintain verification standards and continue
to carefully assess public interest when publishing sensitive information.

Participants also highlighted the
necessity to protect sources, including whistleblowers, and the dangers that
electronic communications could expose identities.

In the wake of the News of the World
scandal, self-regulation was scrutinized, with the point being made that
forthcoming decisions in the UK and South Africa could have substantial
influence in other areas. Participants stressed the benefits of journalistic
self-regulation, including in the online arena. It was argued that where there
was state intervention, it should be by judicial, rather than executive, means.

The conference heard that although
the internet is still less restricted than traditional media around the world,
governments in 40 countries now have restricting measures in place – up from
two countries in 2002. Speakers stressed that restrictions which targeted
online child pornography or legitimate national security should not be used as
excuses for wider censorship, and needed to operate within international
standards for freedom of expression.

Delegates further emphasised that
the news media should increasingly take note of changes in legal regimes around
the world, as well as the actions of “intermediary” bodies like search engines,
web-site hosts and online social networks.

There was strong acknowledgement of
a complementary relationship between citizen contributors and professional
journalists as something that could strengthen press freedom and improve the
quality of journalism.

Bangkok l 20 February -- The 2011 floods that
caused unprecedented devastation across South-East Asia have highlighted the
need for stepped up investment in disaster risk reduction to protect social and
economic assets, top government officials from the subregion agreed at a United
Nations forum here today.

Representatives of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor-Leste,
Thailand and Viet Nam met at the one-day South-East
Asia Flood Risk Reduction Forum organized by the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation
with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the International Centre
for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), to discuss the lessons from the
2011 flooding in South-East Asia and ways to make their nations more resilient
to future flood risks.

Opening the Forum, Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of the United
Nations, and the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, called for faster implementation
of regional and national disaster risk reduction frameworks. She highlighted
the relationship between disasters and development, saying: “Hazards become
disasters in the absence of development and with inadequate investment in risk
reduction. This knowledge-sharing meeting presents us with the opportunity to
address gaps in regional and national disaster preparedness, management and
response.”

The key message emerging from Forum presentations and discussions was that the
2011 South-East Asia floods were a “wake-up call to policymakers, governments,
private sector and civil society that there is a gap between rapid economic
growth and investment in disaster risk reduction”.

More
investment is needed to fill this gap in order to protect social and economic
assets from floods and other disasters in the region, in particular for those
areas with rapid economic growth.

Nido Fortified Science Center together with Philippine
Astronomical Society presents the National Astronomy Week-2012 with a theme of
“The Universe Survives” and it will be on February 18-25, 2012 that will take
place also in Nido Fortified Science Center in Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

With a whole week of celebration, Nido Fortified Science
Center and its partner lined up a series of activities and seminars where the
public is encourage to participate.

Both local and international speakers are expected to grace
the event and they will discuss different aspects of Astronomy.... Dr. Reinabelle
Reyes from University of Chicago will discuss the topic "The birth and death
of the Milky Way Galaxy". While, Mr. George Martin, who is from the
International Planetarium Society will discuss an out-of-the-world topic – “A
Little Black Dot: The Transit of Venus.” And the last speaker will be Dr.
Ronald Sese of University of Philippines Los Banos who will be talking about
the aspect of education and research about Astronomy in the Philippines.

Aside from the seminars that the center is offering to
the public, there will be also a film showing that will display the complexities of our universe, a photo exhibit of different pictures of what is there beyond
our planet. Last, but not the least, there will be a stargazing activity
where one can actually see through their naked eye the wonders of God’s
magnificent and wonderful creation by using their huge telescope.

Astronomy Week: Astro-Con – 2012: The Universe Survives
will be held at Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center in Mall of Asia in
Pasay City with the following schedule.